The United States will resume some arms sales to Bahrain after suspending them amid the country's crackdown on protesters, the State Department announced Friday.

The administration informed Congress that "for national security interests we have decided to release additional items and services for the Bahrain Defense Force, the Coast Guard, and the National Guard for the purpose of helping Bahrain maintain its external defense capabilities," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a written statement.

"Bahrain is an important security partner and ally in a region facing enormous challenges. Maintaining our and our partners' ability to respond to these challenges is a critical component of our commitment to Gulf security."

The United States and Bahrain signed a defense pact in 1991. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet and is viewed as an important bulwark against Iran's influence in the Persian Gulf.
Two U.S. officials, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity, said the weapons being sold, including air-to-air missiles, are designed to offer interoperability between the two countries' militaries.

Nuland said the items being released by the United States "are not used for crowd control," and that the United States is maintaining holds on TOW missiles and Humvees that Congress was told about last October, as well as additional items for the Bahrain Defense Force and Ministry of the Interior. Equipment for Coast Guard and units deployed in Afghanistan are exempted, she said.

"We have made the decision to release additional items to Bahrain mindful of the fact that there are a number of serious unresolved human rights issues that the government of Bahrain needs to address," she said, adding that the United States remains concerned about "excessive use of force and tear gas by police."

The United States also remains concerns about almost daily use of violence by protestors, Nuland said. She urged all sides to refrain from incitement.

After lifting a state of emergency imposed during the protests, the Bahraini government appointed a Commission of Inquiry, which issued a report on the government's handling of the crisis, including recommendations for reform.

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and released a statement noting that while the government has taken some steps to implement the recommendations, "much work" remains to fully respond to human rights issues. She urged Bahrain to adopt a meaningful process of institutional and political reform.

Some lawmakers and human rights groups have opposed the sale of U.S.-made weapons to Bahrain, fearing they would be used against protestors. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the State Department budget, wrote conditions placed on such items, such as tear gas, into the last year's budget bill for foreign operations.

While not commenting on Friday's announcement, Leahy's spokesman, David Carle said that despite Bahrain's stated commitment to reforms, the senator continues to have concerns that Bahrain "has not been as active as it needs to be" in investigating cases of abuse against protestors by security forces.

soundoff(82 Responses)

If you wnat the truth about Bahrain, come here then... And you will see who are the REAL murderers...which are the so called "protesters" who kill the innocent. come here and see with YOUR OWN EYES THE TRUTH.

The GOP solution: Turn all the Old, Sick, Poor, Non-white, Non-christian, Unemployed, and Gay people into slaves. Then whip them until they are Young, Healthy, Rich, White, Christian, Employed, and Straight. Or until they are dead. Then turn them into Soylent Green to feed the military.

selling out our country's core values and democracy in the name of exerting control in a region valuable to us yet far from our borders? sounds like business as usual in Washington. we've been propping up middle eastern dictators since the 50s. saddam before he turned on us (yes we were great friends with him when he gassed half the kurds in north iraq). the shah. mubarak. the saud family. and these guys, the al-khalifas. america does not spread its democracy. it spreads its hypocrisy.

have you ever been to bahrain or talked to both sides in bahrain? 95% of the locals respect the US bc of our democracy and are thankful we are here. bahrain is nothing like most middle eastern countries. its one of the few countries the military lives off of base in flats and drink with the public. bahrain is the most democracy country in the middle east by far; and even though they are personally having issues both sides still respect us and want us to remain in bahrain for the long hull. there never was an issue last year at all towards US members here when the main protests took place. wish all bahraini's the best of luck in the future.

"for national security interests we have decided to release additional items and services for the Bahrain Defense Force, the Coast Guard, and the National Guard for the purpose of helping Bahrain maintain its external defense capabilities,"

This is a part for most stupid readers. As well as Obama's comedy shows and his support of sexual minorities – an absolute game to the public.

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Another proof that the entire U.S. foreign policy for the implementation of "their" democracy – an ordinary lie. United States will always meet their interests, and only then, if possible, to help other countries. U.S. has never equate the needs of their country to the needs of their vassal.

That is why the whole world is against U.S. foreign policy, as it is banal policy of imperialism.

It is not in the interest of USA to support a regime that will eventually fall as we the people will never bow down to it ever again. If USA supported our democratic aspiration and stopped helping this dictatorship it will find a true friend not only in the government but also by the people

The point is that it is unknown if the revolution in Bahrein will be succesful and will not lead to anarchy, or in the country will be total anarchy, such as in Libya.

There are a lot of diplomatic features that prevent the United States to support the opposition in Bahrain. In addition, it is unknown whether the United States will be able to agree with the new leadership of the country and whether there will be the a one real leadership or a lot of opposition groups...

And also, one of the most important moments – betraying the government of Bahrain, the United States will harm their reputations regarding other dictatorial regimes, which they supports. UAE, for example.

All this is very adversely affect the U.S. position in the Middle East.

So point is in that the democracy the U.S. is selective. U.S. maintains its own interests and promotes democracy only when it does not threaten their own interests or even meet them.

May 12, 2012 at 1:11 pm |

Game256

*Bahrain

May 12, 2012 at 1:12 pm |

Theon

COME TO BAHRAIN TO SEE THE TRUTH! AND SEE WITH YOUR OWN EYES WHO THE REAL KILLERS ARE....THE PROTESTER!

May 15, 2012 at 10:01 am |

andrew

do you know what NAVCENT is? thats national interest clown... do you realize where bahrain is to iran? we are in direct fire of almost every missile iran has...

what are you going on about? you clearly do not know anything about bahrain, so how about you dont talk about it like you are here. we have extremely close ties to the bahraini's. they are by far the most faithful allies in the AOR and we have a deep respect for eachother. thats the reason we are authorized to live off base and do anything we want off of base; with the US here we greatly help their economy and help give jobs so they can employee people.

also the bahrain protesters do not want to totally overthrow their government. they want more seats going to the average person to make the government more fair. they want more equal rights and such. there really are no clash's that have taken place that were bloodsheds unlike libya, syria, egypt, ect.
covered the protest last year, been here for over 2 years. know what i am talking about...

May 12, 2012 at 9:21 pm |

Chris

Sweet. Gotta keep that war economy going strong. It's the only thing this country's good for anymore anyways.

GOOD DEAL FINALLY THEY WONT NEED THE SAUDIS TO TAKE CARE OF THE IRANIAN TERRORISTS IE: PROTESTERS THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE AND THEY NEED TO BE KILLED FOR THOSE WHO THINK DIFFERENT THERE TO STUPID TO FIGURE IT OUT SAME THIGN THEY DID IN 1979 EVEN THE PROTESTERS A LOT OF WHOM LIVE IN IRAN SAID THEY WERE BUSSED IN BAHRAIN DOSENT EVEN HAVE A MILITARY ,,,, AND THE POPLE LIKE THERE ELECTED GOVERMENT AGAIN CNN HNOR ANY OTHER NEWS ORG. HAS INTERVIEWED ONE REAL PERSON NOT ONE SHOP OWNER NOT ONE BUSINESSMAN NOT ONE GAS STATION ATTENDENT THEY ALL WANT THE TERRORIST PROTESTERS OUT OF BAHRAIN WE DO NOT SUPPORT TERRORISTS ESPECALLY IRANIANS....

You have no clue of what you are talking about. When Bahrain was claimed by Iran as part of its territory the UN decided to allow the poeple of Bahrain decide if they want to be part of Iran or not. 98% of the Shiites choose to be an independant Arab State free from Iran living in an Constitutional monarchy, the ruling sunni elite decided to scrap the constitution that empowered the poeple to choose a PM and the royal family turned it into an absolute monarchy. We the poeple of Bahrain do not want an Iranian style government, we want to live an a free deomocratic country where we can choose our PM and where our basic human rights are respected, we have nothing against USA. Our demands are democracy and end to the tyran that has been ruling us for more than 200 years. We are part of the Arab Spring that started in 2011 and not part of the Islamic revolution that took place in 1979.

well spoken. sorry that so many people for the US does not understand what is taking place in bahrain. media tends to play things way up. US member in bahrain for over 2 years and i have never seen any real disrespect towards any US person. I truely hope the best for bahrain and i hope both sides can come to an agreement to make everyone happy.

May 12, 2012 at 9:25 pm |

SSS

this is possibly the worst decision USA has made with regards to Bahrain's current political situation. What exactly is the use of missiles in a country so small that it would be absolutely totaled by a hand grenade?

WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP BAHRAIN. IT IS A COUNTRY THAT FOR MANY YEARS HAS HAD GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE USA AND IS HOME TO THE US 5TH FLEET. THEY ARE STRUGGLING WITH A VERY RESTIVE AND MILITANT SHIIT MAJORITY THAT IS BEING SUPPORTED BY IRAN. (THE RULERS AND MANY OF BAHRAIN ARE SUNNIS). I WORKED IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR 12 YEARS AND EVERY WEEKEND USED TO DRIVE THE CAUSEWAY TO BAHRAIN. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND AND A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FROM THE STULTIFYING EFFECTS OF LIVING IN SAUDI ARABIA. WOMAN CAN DRIVE IN BAHRAIN AND THEY PERMIT UNUSUAL FREEDOMS NOT FOUND IN 99% OF THE MIDDLE EAST. WE NEED TO HELP THEM AT ALL COSTS BECAUSE THE ALTERNATIVE IS THAT THEY WILL BECOME ANOTHER BACKWARD, TYPICALLY RUDDERLESS MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY RUN BY SHARIA LAW AND THE THE 20TH CENTURY WILL BE REPLACED BY SHARIA LAW OF THE 7TH CENTURY. THIS IS A REALITY

I agree with you in most part. I lived in Bahrain for 20 years. But the government should address the concerns of the Shia population. If you've traveledl inside shia villages you'll be suprised to see that those people live in terrible conditions, discremination against shias specially in the housing and jobs must be stopped. Expats and most well-to do natives don't think about this.

EXACTLY THESE PEOPLE ARE TOTALLY CLUELESS THEY LISTEN TO BIAS REPORTING AND THINK THE TERRORISTS ARE PEACEFUL IN THE MEAN TIME THEY LEAVE OUT ALL THE KILLING THE PROTESTERS HAVE DONE ATTACKEING WESTERNERS KILLING PEOPLE IN A HOASP[ITAL AND TAKING IT OVER FOR A COMMMAND CENTER THERE CLUELESS I WAS THERE WHEN WE LOADED AND LEFT FOR LYBIA WATCHED THE SHIPS LEAVE THE PORT....

100% right!!! still in bahrain for a few more weeks, been here for over 2 years. during the protests i was 1 of the people that manned coverage of it 24/7 for the military. there were hundreds of false reports of attacks, killings, beatings, ect that turned out to be 100% false. i mean no disrespect to any bahraini; but personally i dont think the use of blood bags and acting is the best way to go about things. but at the same time i understand it was only a small % that attempted this and some most likely were not even really bahraini's and came over just to stir shit up.

May 12, 2012 at 9:30 pm |

Mark

Iraq War
Afghanistan War

Both a plan to attack Iran. That is what it was about from the beginning. Both countries surround Iran.

your only on the wrong side if you support iran and a islamic state in bahrain and support terrorists the reak people in bahrain like there goverment which is elected and want the protesters dead after all they killed a lot of people attacked westerners and took a hospital killed those inside and made it a command center if you dont know your on the wrong side or again support terrorists check what iran did in 1979 to bahrain the same exact thing bussed in thousands of people and protested the saudis saw what was going on thats why they come in and squished the protesters there iranian thugs nothign more...

When you live in the West and listen and read all the biased reporting by the Western media, you tend to be on the wrong side!!! I am someone who lived in this beautiful & once peaceful island, there are Iran elements in Bahrain who want to bring-down this regime and have Sharia law, prohibit women's rights to education and have a Iranian type government! At present, all people including Expats have the right to practice their faith, there are churches and temples. Bahraini women are well educated. What the protesters want to do is to stop all these "infidel" activities. Protests are nothing new to Bahrain, these people have been loyal to Iran since I arrived in Bahrain in the '90s.

US military member in bahrain here. i dont agree with everything our president does but i take my orders and carry on... this however is 1 thing i 100% agree on.

last year i covered the protests for the military. never once was US personal targeted by either side in bahrain. we still live out in town and still have all of our freedoms in this country bc of how much the locals respect us. bahrain is honestly 1 of the best countries to call an ally, there is a deep respect for eachother. sure, there are some crazies that come in and attempt to start crap, but it never really takes a hold bc the locals are so outstanding.

the purpose of these weapons are to help bahrain defend its borders if need be. times are getting more tough with iran, bahrain is right in the backyard and is a direct target by iran. the last thing we want to see (military point of view) is bahrain to be effected by iran scum.

thank you to the people of bahrain for making the past 2 years the best it could be during my deployment here. hope the best to your county. stay strong and keep up your outstanding ways.

go to school. learn what bahrain is like. heck, get your passport and come out. if you think bahrain is filled of terrorist you are a complete freaking idiot. why is it that US personal all live off of base? why is it that we can wear what we want within normal military dress code (no ripped clothing, ect)? why can we drink in the bars? why are we even in the county and never had a single attack against us cept 12 or so years ago when 1 radical blew up a star bucks that wasnt even on base?

your a freaking idiot! bahrain doesnt have terrorist, they dont hate america... not by any long shot!

Clinton to Bahrain Regime – "We have the finest assortment of weapons and torture devices for you. Feel free to use them against the protesters. We would have sold weapons to Syria but Russia has already beaten us to it."

The silent majority are against the protesting 'Persian supremacists' whose remote controlled bombs, and petrol attacks on the Police, have started to kill and injure police and civilans alike. The 'protesters' victims include passers-by such as the woman impaled by an iron rod and killed by protesters, to the kid and his mother sitting at home when the \persian supremacists' let off a major bomb outside. The Police forces are doing a tough job marked by restraint and professionalism, against the troublemakers who are led from overseas. The world needs to show greater support for the forces of order in the Kingdom of Bahrain, instead of siding with the simple-minded troublemakers whose acts of vandalism burning and looting are unwanted on the island.

It doen`t matter what the purpose of the new weapons are. The only thing that matters is that by providing support to the Bahrain government, the U.S. is helping to deny freedom, and a real democracy. One could also make the argument that the weapons support amounts to support of the Bahraini policy of torture, intimidation, and execution.

and you need to come to bahrain since you dont understand the country. stop reading the wack crap you look at. how is giving them weapons that are defensive weapons not helping the country? you cant take a sam and just shoot it at a crowd of people...... learn how weapons work 1st off. 2nd off learn what really happens in countries before you try to claim anything. there is no hate towards americans on both sides here. reason we had/have personal at all the protests and they were accepted by both groups.

I know what you're saying and I agree with you, but you also have to understand the extremes here in cultural differences. Nevertheless, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab Muslim nations (let's not forget Asia too) are continually being encouraged by the US and the rest of the free world to consider human rights more seriously.

Leaders of nations aren't willing to give up power that easily, let alone giving power to the people as in a true democracy, and so react more harshly towards dissenters.

Yes, they are human beings and as such they have a right to defend themselves. Maybe you did not notice that the type of weapons are those used to defend against another country and not against individuals or an internal population.

Bahrain is one of the more moderate countries in the Middle East. They allow worship by all religions, Christians, Jews, Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. This is quite different from the Iranian style theocracy that some of the Bahraini opposition is demanding to install there. Should any democratic nation support people demanding that kind of government? Maybe a Shia theocracy is OK for you but I do not want to see one, especially in a country inhabited mostly by nice people like the Bahrainis.

The silent majority are against the protesting 'Persian supremacists' whose remote controlled bombs, and petrol attacks on the Police, have started to kill and injure police and civilans alike. The 'protesters' victims include passers-by such as the woman impaled by an iron rod and killed by protesters, to the kid and his mother sitting at home when the \persian supremacists' let off a major bomb outside. The Police forces are doing a tough job marked by restraint and professionalism, against the troublemakers who are led from overseas. The world needs to show greater support for the forces of order in the Kingdom of Bahrain, instead of siding with the simple-minded troublemakers whose acts of vandalism are unwanted

The report bassiouni report concluded Iran had nothing to do with the protests, almost 100 protestsrs have been killed 1000s injured and almost 1000 are jailed since the start of the uprising in a country with only 600 000 national citizens its extraordinary. Places of worship have been demolished, doctors and nurses that treated the injured been persecuted. Bahrain has the worlds longest serving unelected PM, in power longer than Mubarak and Kaddafi. What silent majority are you talking about? 300 000 protesters filled the streets of Bahrian on 9th March 2012 to demand freedom in a country with only 600 000 national citizens. Never in history has half of a population attended an anti regime rally. Your lies are seethrough

May 12, 2012 at 9:12 am |

B2UX

why should we...... if i sent you to most arab countries wearing nothing more than a u.s. flag t-shirt you would be shot within taking 5 steps out of the airport ,,,,,,so where would your rights be then huh .....

i have worn a US flag tee shirt plenty of times in bahrain and never once had anyone even look at me bad.

i hope bahrain can unite and work out their issues. both sides have done wrong things towards eachother, and i understand its very frustrating. just do everything possible to restrain from physical fighting; its a shame when any life is lost.

May 12, 2012 at 9:56 pm |

Noname

I'm surprised to hear that there's something called "Human Rights" in the USA!!!!!!!!

Yea let's take a look and see what's going on with the human rights issues. Police refrain from using excessive force against your citizens and concentrate on the infedels amongst you. I guess someone likes Iraq I don't know why we will be seeing you.

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